Blacks Celebrate Faith, Spirituality in Kwanzaa Events

Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday nor a substitute for
Christmas. It encourages spirituality and faith while combining
traditional African practices and symbols with the hopes, ideals,
realities and creativity of African-Americans.

DeBorah Ahmed is director for programs and administration for
Better Family Life Inc., a nonprofit group that promotes Kwanzaa
here. Ahmed said Kwanzaa is steadily gaining popularity in the St.
Louis area as more African-Americans learn about the holiday.

To keep the momentum going, Better Family Life is sponsoring
three Kwanzaa events to be held today, Thursday and Saturday.

A Kwanzaa Ritual of Regeneration and Nation Building
performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. today at the Center for
Contemporary Arts, 524 Trinity Avenue, University City. Admission
is $10 for adults in advance and $13 at the door. For children 12
and under, admission is $7 in advance, $8 at the door.

The performance, by the Rhythms in Anoa Dance Theatre, tells
the story of how elders pass down nation-building skills to younger
generations in traditional African society.

The transgenerational message also includes the seven
principles of Kwanzaa - unity, self-determination, responsibility,
cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

At the start of the performance, African-Americans will learn
about Kwanzaa, which means "first fruits" in Swahili. The holiday
is traditionally celebrated Dec. 26 through Jan. 1.

Kwanzaa was founded in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, head of the
Department of Black Studies at California State University. …

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